Sharpening 101..?

[BladeAmateur97]

Have a Spyderco Sage coming in, the steel used is CPM-S30v which probably wasnt the best first real knife to get because I'm still a novice with high end knives..let alone sharpening them. But I was just wondering if you could recommend the best value system out there I've seen hand held sharpeners , electric sharpeners, rod systems, Arkansas stones, diamond stones. Alot of different methods makes it intimidating. You can even link me to a good youtube video.

 

[Moxy]

Spyderco Sharpmaker.

[video=youtube;5LBDnJv5B58]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LBDnJv5B58[/video]

 

[EChoil]

Have a Spyderco Sage coming in, the steel used is CPM-S30v which probably wasnt the best first real knife to get because I'm still a novice with high end knives..let alone sharpening them. But I was just wondering if you could recommend the best value system out there I've seen hand held sharpeners , electric sharpeners, rod systems, Arkansas stones, diamond stones. Alot of different methods makes it intimidating. You can even link me to a good youtube video.

In the long run you'll be better off learning to sharpen freehand first. An Arkansas stone, a good diamond rod, a piece of leather...and some reading in the sharpening forum here.

If you want to skip the fundamentals and go right to sharpening machines, there are plenty here who can guide you to a good system.

Whatever you get, practice initially on some cheap knives, throwaways... Don't use your good knives to start.

 

[blade dude]

Invest in a cheap tac force knife and a stone. And a phone app that tells you the degree of an angle. Get something straight and use phone to hold it up at whatever angle degree I'll use 15 as example. Now hold knife to it perpendicular to ground. EyebAll the gap between top of blade and slanted object. That's the gap that should be there when sharpening on a stone. People love the sharp maker but I put a stone in a vice and used it similar to sharp maker and didn't like it.

 

[Lee48]

Don't overthink it. Get the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It's a simple and relatively low-priced sharpening system. It's not hard to use, it's expandable with accessory rods, highly versatile and it's unlikely you will ever grow out of it. You can add simple or exotic freehand stones and expensive sharpening systems later if you like but you'll probably still find yourself using the Sharpmaker.

 

[RobME]

There's no substitute for freehand like Echoil & blade dude already suggested. You'll be far more confident in the future if you acquire that skill. Sharpening a good knife is intimidating for someone new to it, so buy an inexpensive system to start off if you must, but try not to get too dependent on it. Practice freehand with a benchstone on some junk and you'll know when you're there. The Sharpmaker can't really teach you freehand. It can take you part of the way there towards keeping a steady hand, holding the knife at a fixed angle, but the traditional way is far better. Also, it's too easy to blunt the tip of a blade with the Sharpmaker. You'd probably be better off with a fixed system like a DMT Aligner Pro. I have both systems but I only freehand now. Can't speak of other brands that I have no experience with but you've multiple choices with both guided system formats. Between the SM & DMT, I'd reco the DMT for someone new. Fwiw.

 

[Ankerson]

Go here.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/794-Maintenance-Tinkering-amp-Embellishment

 

[robgmn]

Something to consider: a guided system will give consistent, accurate, and repeatable results, moreso than perhaps the most capable freehander out there.
Learning the skill is not a bad thing, but not really a necessary thing either.

Much like building a fire the "old fashioned" way - not at all a bad skill to learn, but not really necessary with the advent of lighters, accelerants, magnifying glasses even...

 

[gazz98]

In the long run you'll be better off learning to sharpen freehand first. An Arkansas stone, a good diamond rod, a piece of leather...and some reading in the sharpening forum here.

If you want to skip the fundamentals and go right to sharpening machines, there are plenty here who can guide you to a good system.

Whatever you get, practice initially on some cheap knives, throwaways... Don't use your good knives to start.

+1. Freehand sharpening can intimidate some folks but its just a matter of practice, more practice, and some more practice. If you are a knife fan, I think most appreciate learning the art of freehand sharpening. As Echoil said, buy one or two dollar store/Walmart/garage sale(although not in season atm) blades that you can practice on. Watch a lot of youtube videos, read the sharpening forum here, and practice. I started with the Smith tri hone system ($25-30). I think its a good place to start. Use an old, leather belt (or buy one at a thrift shop) for stropping.

 

[socom1970]

+1 for the Spyderco Sharpmaker.

Proper freehand sharpening is important, but I believe the Sharpmaker will save you a LOT of time, frustration, and will give you a very satisfactory edge with minimal effort and process time.

 

[MaximIsayev]

Another vote for the Sharpmaker as a starter system. It works well and will teach you the basics about sharpening, after that you can move on to freehand and it won't be as daunting.

 

[strategy9]

Sharpmaker is for sure a great easy system; and watching vids will help.

If looking for cheaper check out Smith's 3 in 1 or lansky turnbox, or SiC sandpaper from the local hardware store, (watch vids on which route you go), but don't use any carbide pull through types. They "work", quick and in a pinch to get a sharp edge, but do more harm then good to your edges in the end game, lowering the knife life.

Also, invest in a strop. Stropping will become your best friend in extending the life of your sharp edges; more stropping means less sharpening, which is better for the edges since sharpening actually wears away the steel to for a new edge, while stropping merely realigns the existing edge.

 

[palonej]

Another bit of advice I got and it has helped me.....don't let the blade get terribly dull before you tend to it.
Frequent touch ups after use is the way to go.
Good luck......you're gonna love that Sage!
Joe

 

[sharp_edge]

Something to consider: a guided system will give consistent, accurate, and repeatable results, moreso than perhaps the most capable freehander out there.
Learning the skill is not a bad thing, but not really a necessary thing either.

Much like building a fire the "old fashioned" way - not at all a bad skill to learn, but not really necessary with the advent of lighters, accelerants, magnifying glasses even...

THIS ^^

Freehand requires tons of practice before you can get satisfactory results, whereas a guided system (e.g., Lansky) can easily get you the results that freehanders can hardly achieve, well, unless the freehanders are REALLY experienced.

 

[Morrow]

Moving to MT&E

 

[1Ronin]

Sharpmaker is a good system. Just remember don't let your knife get to dull, otherwise you have to invest in the diamond stones.

Also I would suggest buying a cheaper knife to practice on before starting on your S30V blade.

If you want to start learning free hand I would suggest buying a Norton India combo stone. You can achieve some really sharp edges with the India fine stone.

 

[nick_tykes]

Starting out I never took the time to look into sharpening systems and just did the research/education and and after years of practice I can now say I'm pretty darn good at free hand sharpening....however I've F'ed up a dozen or so blades in the process so it doesn't hurt to get a system and use your cheap blades for free hand practice.

 

[Billy516]

Another vote for Sharpmaker. It's basically freehand sharpening but in a vertical position instead of a horizontal. You still have total control over your angles (no clamps, guides, etc.) but it makes it much, much easier to keep those angles consistent. If you get a set of CBN and or diamond rods, the UF rods and then a decent leather strop you can take a knife from dull to hair whittling with a little practice. I do it all the time.

 

[ursamajor]

Have a Spyderco Sage coming in, the steel used is CPM-S30v which probably wasnt the best first real knife to get because I'm still a novice with high end knives..let alone sharpening them. But I was just wondering if you could recommend the best value system out there I've seen hand held sharpeners , electric sharpeners, rod systems, Arkansas stones, diamond stones. Alot of different methods makes it intimidating. You can even link me to a good youtube video.

A $20 1000 grit Japanese Water stone, and a strop. Get a coarser Arkansas Stone, just in case you ding your blade up-to re establish your edge prior to the water stone.

You gotta learn the skill, and it is very easy-I've been doing my own sharpening since I was 11.

Besides, a knife guy that can't sharpen his own knives free hand, is like a car guy who can't change his own oil.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Per the OP's specific mention of S30V, and the subsequent suggestion(s) to use an Arkansas stone:

For S30V, an Arkansas stone will bring nothing but frustration. Its natural novaculite abrasive is nowhere near hard enough to handle the vanadium carbides in S30V (vanadium carbides are ~3.5 times as hard as novaculite), and you'll grind on it for days without getting much done, likely ruining the stone in the process (by glazing it; the carbides will essentially polish the stone). It's the last thing I'd recommend for S30V. For simpler, less wear-resistant steels like 1095, CV, 420HC, 440A, an Arkansas can do OK. But not for S30V.

For starting out, an aggressive SiC stone (silicon carbide) or diamond hone will handle S30V much better; the SiC & diamond will at least do a decent job digging out the carbides for heavy grinding, and the diamond at finer grit will be best for actually shaping, thinning or polishing the carbides themselves. Tools like the Sharpmaker (alumina ceramic) can do touchups if the edge isn't too far gone, but won't be aggressive enough for major repairs (optional diamond or CBN rods are available for it, though). For repairing edge damage or rebevelling, you'll need something more aggressive as above. Take a look at values for hardness below, in deciding which abrasives might work best for the carbides present in some steels, as noted below:

Knoop hardness, for reference:
Diamond = 7000
CBN ('Cubic Boron Nitride') = ~4500
Vanadium Carbide = ~2800 (significant @ 4% and higher in CPM-S30V, CPM-S90V, CPM-S110V steels and others like them)
Silicon Carbide = ~2600-2700 (also called 'carborundum', it's used in Norton's 'Crystolon' stones and some hardware-store utility sharpening stones)
Aluminum Oxide and/or 'alumina' = ~2100 (used in majority of ceramics and other synthetic stones, such as Norton's 'India' stone, and the balance of cheaper hardware store stones; also used in many varieties of synthetic waterstones)
Chromium Carbide = ~1700-1800 (significant in steels like 440C, 154CM, ATS-34, VG-10, D2, ZDP-189)
Novaculite = ~825 (natural abrasive in Arkansas stones; works OK or well with low-alloyed steels containing no significant chromium carbides or vanadium carbides, like 1095, CV, 420HC, 440A and many others like them)


David